The invention relates to a method and apparatus for constructing a carton for containing multiple articles and more particularly when the articles the carton contains are of a non-rigid structure such as pouches which may be filled with beverages or other foodstuffs and/or liquids.
Often it is desirable for a consumer to purchase a number of articles such as pouches filled with a beverage. Cartons containing a group of pouches are therefore required. Such pouches are flexible any may be delicate and can be difficult to securely and tightly package into a carton.
Current commercial packages for these types of article are constructed from corrugated board, which is used to provide sufficient strength for palletisation of pluralities of packages but has the disadvantage that it produces a poor quality finished product especially with regard to the printed surfaces. Another disadvantage of these packages is that they require the carton blank to be pre-glued.
It is therefore desirable to provide a carton with a high aesthetic quality which has sufficient strength for palletisation. It is also desirable to reduce the handling of the pouches to minimize the possibility of damage to them.
The present invention seeks to overcome the limitations of the prior art, and offer improved print quality and allows the process of carton construction and loading to be carried out in one manufacturing machine.